Atwork Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Atwork franchise requires a total initial investment of $165K – $250K, including a $40K – $60K franchise fee. Per the latest FDD, average unit revenue was $3.7M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 10 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified
Overview
- Investment
- $165K – $250K
- 44th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $3.7M
- 27th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 90
- 40th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $165K – $250K including a $40K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $3.7M/year (median $1.8M).
- Verdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 86/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 10 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- 14 units terminated last reporting year (15.6% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- AtWork Franchise, Inc.
- CEO title
- Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
- John D. Hall, Jr.
- Incorporated in
- Tennessee
- HQ
- 3215 W. John Sevier Highway, Knoxville, Tennessee 37920
- Auditor
- Pugh & Company, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $10.3M
- vs $10.5M prior year
Overview
About
Staffing business providing recruitment, screening, and hiring services to clients; two brands offered - AtWork Personnel Business (temporary clerical, management, and light industrial staffing) and AtWork Professional Business (contract/project-based professional workers and executive direct hires).
- CEO
- John D. Hall, Jr.
- Headquarters
- Tennessee
- Founded
- 1992
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 22% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $75K | $140K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $50K | $71K |
| Total initial investment | $165K | $250K |
Source: Atwork FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $165K – $250K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $75K – $140K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $60K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Personnel Businesses: 7% of Gross Revenues (or 10% for fu…
- Ad fund
- 0.5%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $149 |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 178% above the business services norm.
Source: FDD · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$604K
16.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
192%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
6 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $3.7M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.8M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- historical
- Sample size
- 63 units
- vs category median 38
- Range (low → high)
- $229K→$47.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
Compared against 356 Business Services brands
Revenue is 17.6x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $3.7M/year in gross sales. Median is $1.8M — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 17.6x.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (+2.5% 3-year CAGR) with 90 units.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Business Services averages
How Atwork Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 90
- Opened
- 21
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 7
- Terminated
- 14
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 25.3%
- Company-owned
- 7
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 92%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +2.5%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +2.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 21
- Closed (3yr)
- 7
- Terminated (3yr)
- 14
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 10
- Loan volume
- $2.1M
- Median loan
- $200K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 10.1%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 5613
- Jobs supported
- 235
- 10.9 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 60%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
Top lenders financing Atwork franchisees
Showing 3 of 5 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 10 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Pugh & Company, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 200,000 |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Knoxville, Tennessee (or within 50 miles of franchisor's principal place of business) |
| Governing law | Tennessee |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 33 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Virtual
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Atwork franchise?
The total investment to open a Atwork franchise ranges from $165K – $250K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Atwork franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Atwork FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $3.7M. The median is $1.8M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Atwork's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Atwork has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 10 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Atwork franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Atwork has 90 total units in the United States, including 83 franchised units and 7 company-owned units. 21 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Atwork a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Atwork as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 86 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Atwork, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Business Services franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Business Services category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.